1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mix door and a vehicle air conditioner using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with an air conditioning device (hereafter, referred to as air conditioner) (for reference, see International Patent Application Publication No. WO20071061039 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-270317).
The air conditioner includes an air conditioner main body installed in a front portion of a vehicle cabin and ducts for sending air for air conditioning from the air conditioner main body to blow-out ports provided in corresponding portions of the vehicle cabin.
The air conditioner main body includes a hollow air-conditioner housing and an air intake port and an air discharge port which are provided in the air conditioner housing.
The hollow air conditioner housing includes an evaporator (heat exchanger for cooling) and a heater core (heat exchanger for heating) disposed in this order from a windward (upwind) side in an inner portion of the hollow air conditioner housing. A leeward (downwind) side of the evaporator is divided into a warm air passage and a bypass passage, and the heater core is provided inside the warm air passage. A mix door capable of distributing air for air conditioning having passed through the evaporator to the warm air passage and the bypass passage is provided between the evaporator and the heater core.
The mix door mentioned above includes slide door units each having: a frame-shaped slide door case having a warm air opening portion and a cool air opening portion; and a slide door part capable of opening and closing the warm air opening portion and the cool air opening portion or adjusting the opening degrees thereof by sliding along the slide door case.
The slide door units each include a door attachment wall part which enables the slide door part to be attached to the slide door case. Moreover, the slide door units each include a slide guide part which slideably supports the slide door part. Furthermore, a slide driving part capable of driving a slide of the slide door part is provided on the upwind side of the slide door units.
The slide driving part includes a rack portion and a gear mechanism portion, the rack portion being provided in the slide door part and extending in a sliding direction, the gear mechanism portion being configured to transmit a driving force to the rack portion.
The air conditioner main body mentioned above is configured to be assembled as follows. For example, left and right housing divided pieces into which the air conditioner housing is divided are mounted to the mix door. Then, the evaporator and the heater core are inserted from an opening portion formed in a side surface of the air conditioner housing. Thereafter, the opening portion is closed by a side surface member and air delivery units of the air intake ports and the air discharge port and the like are attached.
However, in the mix door structure as described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO2007/061039, the rack portion and the gear mechanism portion of the slide driving part are provided in a center portion of the slide door case in a width direction. Hence, the air for air conditioning is easy to blow directly on the gear mechanism portion (on a gear portion provided therein). Therefore, there are risks that foreign objects such as debris and dust carried by the air for air conditioning are caught by the gear portion and that the gear portion located in the flow of the air for air conditioning causes wind noise and an increase in flow resistance.
Furthermore, in the vehicle-air-conditioner as described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO2007/061039, the mix door and the evaporator are disposed in the air conditioner housing at positions extremely close to each other. Hence, when the evaporator is inserted into the air conditioner housing, there is a risk of the evaporator being damaged by the mix door.